Opening The Way

 

I ran a 90-minute session of Cha'alt using Crimson Dragon Slayer D20 yesterday, and it was one of the best virtual games I've ever been involved with.

To what do I owe such awesomeness?  Well, it's an awesome campaign setting, for one.  Hard to go wrong with a kitchen-sink type of genre-mashing world where nearly anything goes.

Additionally, I've been running Cha'alt so much over the last few years that I know it like the back of my tentacle.  There's also the blind luck factor - sometimes you just get lucky and things fall into place.  Of course, as a sorcerer, I'm loath to believe in coincidence.

Before these Roll20 sessions begin, as I've talked about elsewhere, I spend a minute or two in pre-game meditation, gazing upon the Kort'thalis meta-sigil which is my conduit between this reality and the second world collectively imagined by the players and myself.  

Lately, I've been re-reading a book from my youth called Prime Chaos by Phil Hine (terrific resource if you're interested in chaos magic).  Long story short, I created a magical procedure for opening the door between this world and that of Cha'alt... a gateway into the psychocosm, for lack of a better term.

While I didn't see Cha'alt any clearer or stronger than my last few sessions, I did feel a deeper connection.  The events which unfolded gave player-characters actual, meaningful choices, which is the hallmark of a good game.

In blog posts and YouTube videos to come (subscribe to my channel; I'm almost at 1,000), I'll share various magical techniques for achieving altered states of consciousness.  In my opinion, this will heighten immersion.

However, I won't divulge the details of what transpired in this morning's adventure because I want to run it again and again, tweaking and refining as I go, sharing my vision with players yearning to experience non-vanilla D&D; something different, something special.

Contact me if you want to be part of the magic, or simply seek out my games on Roll20.  My handle there is "VS", and my email address is: Venger.Satanis@yahoo.com

Happy hump-day, hoss! [I wrote this last night and am just publishing it today]

VS

p.s. Still have tickets available for VENGER CON... if you're interested in attending a convention exclusively for old-school, OSR, and traditional RPGs, this is what you've been waiting for!

Inflation

 

Scantily-clad princesses, mercenary banana-men, tentacled sorcerers, sandworms, and mutant demon lords!

Just a few years ago, I created a world that could accommodate everything from Dark Sun, Rifts, Gamma World, Encounter Critical, and Dune to the weird pulp sword & sorcery tales of Robert E. Howard and Clark Ashton Smith.

Now that I'm getting down to less than a dozen boxes of Cha'alt and Cha'alt: Fuchsia Malaise, coupled with inflation, prices are going up... slightly.

If you live in the USA, both gorgeous hardcover books (signed, numbered, and personalized + PDFs) can be all yours for only $111.  Outside the USA, it's $150.  

Either paypal or email me at Venger.Satanis@yahoo.com 

Get your eldritch, gonzo, science-fantasy, post-apocalyptic campaign setting + adventures + megadungeon while you still can!

Have a great weekend,

Venger Satanis 4 Realz

p.s. If you haven't already grabbed a ticket for VENGER CON, I suggest you get on that.  Tickets and additional information here.  

This convention is exclusively for old-school, OSR, and traditional RPGs.  It'll be held this July in Madison, WI. 

Tekumel, Barker, and Empire of the Petal Throne

 

For those saddened by the news that author of Tekumel / Empire of the Petal Throne was an anti-Semite on par with the likes of progressives Ilhan Omar and Rashida Talib, you have my sympathies.  I'm sorry for your loss.  

Everyone deserves to be treated as equals, endowed with inalienable rights by our creator.

If you don't know what I'm talking about, Erik Tenkar explains in this video.  

TL;DR: M.A.R. Barker wrote a pro-Nazi, anti-Semetic novel under a pseudonym back in 1991.  Folks are just finding out about this now, and are understandably devastated.

Having said that, Cha'alt welcomes your fandom, patronage, and creative participation. If any wish to delve into the eldritch, gonzo, science-fantasy, post-apocalyptic campaign world, we'd be glad to have you!

In fact, order both glorious hardcovers Cha'alt and Cha'alt: Fuchsia Malaise for only $90 (within the USA; outside add $40), and I'll sign them "Venger Satanis 4 Realz".  This week only!

Inflation and shipping rates have gone way up and next week the price will go up.

Have a great week,

VS4Rz

p.s. VENGER CON needs more attendees!  This July in Madison WI I'm organizing the first convention of its kind - devoted exclusively to old-school, OSR, and traditional roleplaying games.  Grab your ticket, and join us...

Venger Satanis 4 Realz

 

Last night, I decided to make an important change in my life.  

Going forward, I'd like for everyone to address and refer to me as Venger Satanis 4 Realz.

Alternatively, I'd be happy with a shortened version if you're in a hurry, such as VS4Rz.

This is part brand management and part identification.  Starting today, I identify as Venger Satanis 4 Realz, so that's simply what you should call me.

Thanks for your support, everyone!

VS4Rz

p.s. Don't forget that VENGER CON is happening in Madison, WI this July (regardless of how many radical-leftists "REEeee" about it).  

Also, Cha'alt: Chartreuse Shadows has been on DriveThruRPG as a PDF for a couple weeks now.  Check it out if you like eldritch, gonzo, science-fantasy, post-apocalyptic campaign settings, adventures, and megadungeons with a humorous, sleazy, grindhouse/exploitation, pop-culture twist.

TTRPGs for Child Abuse in Texas!

 

Few things makes me as disgusted and angry as abusing children, which is why I'm particularly sickened by all the "game designers" supporting this.

Texas is trying to protect kids from genital mutilation, chemical castration, and irreversible puberty blockers.  Parents trying to "trans" their kids is wrong and immoral.  It should be illegal.

If a child isn't old enough to choose their own bedtime, they aren't old enough to make serious medical decisions that will affect their entire life.  There's a reason that suicide rates among transgender individuals is sky-high!

The itch.io platform should be ashamed of itself.  Funding child abuse should never be tolerated! 

Protect our kids, support the Texas law, and send these radical-leftists and their equally unhinged gender ideology back to the landfill of disastrous ideas where they belong (right next to Communism).

Do what you can to speak up and fight back...

VS

p.s. Want more context?  Read this story...

The Pod-People

 

They look just like us.  Sometimes, when we're talking about RPGs or the weather, they sound like us, too.  

But make no mistake, leftoids aren't ordinary people.  They've been absorbed into the radical-left hivemind.  They're not empathetic, they're not inclusive, they don't want equality or meritocracy, and if you cross their narrative or criticize their agenda, faceless drones will come out of the woodwork to destroy you, cancel you, deplatform you, defund you, get you banned, and your books burned.

I was told just a day ago that I'm not welcome to run Cha'alt or anything else at Misty Mountain Games (my "friendly" local game store), and that they don't even want Cha'alt on their shelves because it, and myself, apparently, aren't "family friendly" and "inclusive" enough for their establishment.

I made a video about it yesterday.  Several comments pointed out the obvious hypocrisy.  If a game store is going to carry Warhammer, Call of Cthulhu, Vampire, and Lamentations of the Flame Princess, (and years ago the Book of Erotic Fantasy and Book of Vile Darkness) then to single Cha'alt out strikes me as blatantly political.

I'm a moderate conservative (formerly classical liberal) who isn't afraid to call-out woke nonsense, gender ideology child abuse and CRT taught to children, drag queen story hour in public libraries, bad fiscal, domestic, and foreign policy from our politicians, and anti-science mandates / lockdowns handed down from our elite ruling class.  But I've been called a "nazi" by those on the left for years.  And anyone who associates me is similarly smeared.  

But if I stop, fall in line, and conform, they might - just might - leave me alone.  That's damn decent of them.  Sarcasm aside, I think I'd rather tell them to fuck off!

Whatever, I'm over it already.  This blog post isn't to rail against MMG, but to warn everyone out there.  We can see the light at the end of the tunnel.  The writing's on the wall.  Pendulums swing one way, then the other.  That's how things go, despite their dreams of endless revolution.  While the woke are losing ground, they're still dangerous, still vicious, still pod-people.  

Now is not the time to plan the homecoming celebration of common sense and traditional values.  We keep fighting, keep pushing back, keep standing up for what's good and true.  The great silent majority rarely speaks up... unless it's absolutely necessary.  Well, look at the state of things!  It's beyond necessary.  Think of all the suffering that could have been avoided if we were gatekeeping back in 2014.

If we don't crush the woke social justice fanatics, there won't be a space for us.  Our own basements will be the only place we can game.  If they could, they'd forcibly remove us from social media, brick & mortar stores, and virtual table platforms - look what's happening on Discord (click to watch video).

Happy hump-day,

VS

p.s.  I'm about to add specific games to the VENGER CON schedule.  If you want to attend my old-school, OSR, and traditional RPG convention in Madison, WI this July, grab your tickets here!  Attendance is limited to 100 people, 18+.